FOX
Plenty of actors have lent their voices to prime time animated series like The Simpsons or movies like The Croods and Toy Story. But it’s hard to imagine Saturday Morning Cartoons with huge stars. A lot of people are shocked to find out that the original voice of Shredder on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star James Avery, or to recall which Star Wars veteran was behind The Joker. Perhaps you weren't aware of the big names behind some of these childhood favorites...
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
A group of teenagers use magic rings to harness the elements and to summon Captain Planet, an environmental superhero. Each episode, they battle villains trying to pollute the environment. Whoopi Goldberg voices Gaia, the spirit of the Earth and their boss. What a lot of children at the time didn’t realize is the show’s villains are all played by major celebrities. Meg Ryan is Dr. Blight, a disfigured doctor who works with a sarcastic British computer. Jeff Goldblum plays Verminous Skumm, a mutated rat creature with a fondness for toxic waste. Sting even appears on the show as the creatively named Zarm. Other villains are played by Hollywood veterans Martin Sheen, James Coburn, Malcolm McDowell, and Ed Asner. Major celebs also stop by for guest appearances including Danny Glover, Louis Gossett Jr., and even Elizabeth Taylor.
Gargoyles
This Disney cartoon creates a mythology where stone gargoyles come to life when the sun sets. It also has a bizarre Star Trek connection. Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis play series villains David Xanatos and Demona. There are also performance by other The Next Generation stars Michael Dorn, Brett Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Colm Meany. The captains of Deep Space Nine, Avery Brooks, and Voyager, Kate Mulgrew, appear on the cartoon. Nichelle Nichols even makes an appearance.
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman is probably the most star-studded cartoon in television history. The series features appearances by stars from the 1970s to today. 1970s icons like Adrienne Barbeau, Michael York, and Marilu Henner pop by the series. Bewitched actress Elizabeth McGovern plays her last role ever on the cartoon. Mark Hamill, a.k.a. Luke Skywalker, finds a career resurgence playing The Joker. Night Court’s Richard Moll, The Beastmaster Marc Singer, and Melissa Gilbert all bring 1980s nostalgia playing major characters. Bruce Wayne’s various love interests include Heather Locklear, comedian Julie Brown, and Supergirl Helen Slater. There are also appearances by future celebrities like Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss and Megan Mullally.
Superman
Similarly, this Man of Steel cartoon has a ton of television actors lending their voices. Superman is voiced by Wings star Tim Daly and Lois Lane is Desperate Housewives star Dana Delany. Sitcom stars Peri Gilpin, Brad Garett, and Joely Fisher all appear on the show.
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DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
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Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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We're but four days away from the official start of the holiday season shopping madness bonanza palooza hullaboo greed orgy that is Black Friday. And while life would be exponentially easier for everyone if Oprah got us all of our presents, alas, we must join the frenzied masses and risk life and limb for a Furby. (They're back, haven't you heard?)
But, as it turns out, the only thing tougher than trying to figure out what your Secret Santa would want for Christmas, is trying to figure out what your favorite characters on television would buy each other if they too did Secret Santa — or Pollyanna or White Elephant or Yankee Swamp, depending on the region. So while we can't do your holiday shopping for you or hold your place in line at the Apple store, we can come up with what your favorite TV characters would buy each other. It's the gift that keeps on giving! Well, until next season.
Don Draper from Mad Men has....Jessica Day from New Girl...and gives her....absolutely anything from the 1960s. It's vintage!
Kalinda Sharma from The Good Wife has....American Horror Story's Dr. Arthur Arden....and gets him... Fifty Shades of Grey, of course. ::Shudder::
Donna Meagle from Parks and Recreation has....Mad Men's Don Draper...and gets him... what every man desires, a night with Donna Meagle. Eat your heart out, Jean Ralphio.
Walter White Jr. from Breaking Bad has....Carl Grimes from The Walking Dead...and gives him...a Christmas card that reads, 'Dads, amiright?!"
Brad Williams from Happy Endings has...Walter White Jr. from Breaking Bad...and gets him....a gourmet breakfast, complete with international papaya smoothie. Splash!
Jessica Day from New Girl has...Juliette Barnes from Nashville...and gives her...a brand new set of assorted nail polishes, and co-writes her a new jingle on her ukulele called "Stealing is Bad."
Carl Grimes from The Walking Dead has...Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Diaries and gives her...not a goddamn thing. Are you kidding? The kid is stuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, leaving not much time to holiday shop for a vampire.
Robin Scherbatsky from How I Met Your Mother has...Nicholas Brody from Homeland...and gives him...only Canadian presents like a Maple Leafs jersey and a Justin Bieber cd. No American-made products for that traitor!
Will McAvoy from The Newsroom has....Robin Scherbatsky from How I Met Your Mother...and gives her...a stern talking to about media and a tutorial on how women send emails.
Nicholas Brody from Homeland has.... Donna Meagle from Parks and Recreation...and gives her...a series of ginger-themed body scrubs and essential oils. Treat yo self, Donna Meagle! Just maybe be aware that the FBI could be tracking you now.
Will Schuester from Glee has.... Brad Williams from Happy Endings...and gives him....an impromptu rap and dance session he most certainly didn't ask for. (No, you can't join Boys II Menorah, Will!)
Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Diaries has.... Kalinda Sharma from The Good Wife...and gives her...an actual diary. It's time to bottle some of that noise.
Juliette Barnes from Nashville has....Will McAvoy from The Newsroom...and gives him...a fully loaded iPad and iPod (complete with her tunes, obviously.) Get with the times, you old grump!
Dr. Arthur Arden from American Horror Story has....Will Schuester from Glee/the Ryan Murphy universe and gives him...hopefully, a one-way ticket to Briarcliff.
Happy holidays, fictitious friends! Which characters do you think would buy each other the best Secret Santa gifts?
[Photo credit: AMC]
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Taylor Swift is never ever going to stop singing about her ex-boyfriends, since all her songs seem to lead to more awards. For the third year in a row, the 22-year-old country princess has been nominated for a slew of American Country Awards. She is up for wins in five categories in 2012: Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Female Single of the Year, Touring Artist of the Year, and Female Music Video of the Year.
While Swift may be country music's leading lady, Lady Antebellum seems to be the favorite group this year with six nominations. They are up against Swift for Artist of the Year and Touring Artist of the Year, and are also in the running for Group Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Group Single of the Year, and Group or Collaboration Music Video of the Year.
Other leading artists include Luke Bryan, who has seven nominations, and the Zac Brown Band with six nods. Eric Church has also garnered five nominations.
Here is the full list of nominees for the 2012 American Country Awards:
ARTISTS
Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Lady Antebellum
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band
Artist of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Eric Church
Toby Keith
Artist of the Year: Female
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Artist of the Year: Group
The Band Perry
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Lee Brice
Colt Ford
Gloriana
Justin Moore
Jake Owen
Artist of the Year: New Artist
Lauren Alaina
Hunter Hayes
Jana Kramer
Kip Moore
Pistol Annies
ALBUM
Album of the Year
Dierks Bentley, “Home”
Luke Bryan, “tailgates &amp; tanlines”
Eric Church, “Chief”
Lady Antebellum, “Own the Night”
Blake Shelton, “Red River Blue”
SINGLES
Single of the Year
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town”
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Eric Church, “Drink In My Hand”
Chris Young, “You”
Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me In Mind”
Single of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town”
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Kenny Chesney, “Reality”
Eric Church, “Drink In My Hand”
Chris Young, “You”
Single of the Year: Female
Sara Evans, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”
Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
Taylor Swift, “Ours”
Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl”
Single of the Year: Group
Eli Young Band, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”
Lady Antebellum, “We Owned The Night”
Rascal Flatts, “Banjo”
The Band Perry, “All Your Life”
Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me In Mind”
Single of the Year: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”
Jana Kramer, “Why Ya Wanna”
Dustin Lynch, “Cowboys and Angels”
Kip Moore, “Somethin’ ’Bout A Truck”
The Farm, “Home Sweet Home”
Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Lee Brice, “A Woman Like You”
Brantley Gilbert, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do”
Gloriana, “(Kissed You) Good Night”
David Nail, “Let It Rain”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”
Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
Kix Brooks featuring Joe Walsh, “New To This Town”
Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, “Feel Like A Rock Star”
Brad Paisley featuring Carrie Underwood, “Remind Me”
Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield, “Easy”
Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffett, “Knee Deep”
TOURING
Touring Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw
Eric Church
Toby Keith
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band
VIDEOS
Music Video of the Year
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”
Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You”
Keith Urban, “For You”
Chris Young, “You”
Music Video of the Year: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”
Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You”
Keith Urban, “For You”
Chris Young, “You”
Music Video of the Year: Female
Sara Evans, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”
Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
Taylor Swift, “Ours”
Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl”
Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration
Gloriana, “(Kissed You) Good Night”
Lady Antebellum, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”
Little Big Town, “Pontoon”
Love and Theft, “Angel Eyes”
The Band Perry, “All Your Life”
Music Video of the Year: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”
Casey James, “Let’s Don’t Call It A Night”
Jana Kramer, “Why You Wanna”
Dustin Lynch, “Cowboys and Angels”
Kip Moore, “Somethin’ ’Bout A Truck”
Song of the Year:
Trace Adkins, “Just Fishin’” (Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell and Ed Hill)
Jason Aldean, “Fly Over States,” (Michael Dulaney and Neil Thrasher)
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town” (Michael Dulaney, Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher)
Lee Brice, “A Woman Like You” (Phil Barton, Johnny Bulford and Jon Stone)
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You And Tequila” (Matraca Berg and Deana Carter)
Eric Church, “Springsteen” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell)
Ronnie Dunn, “Cost of Livin’” (Phillip Coleman and Ronnie Dunn)
Eli Young Band, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” (Will Hoge and Eric Paslay)
Toby Keith, “Red Solo Cup” (Brett Beavers, Jim Beavers, Brad Warren and Brett Warren)
Tim McGraw, “Better Than I Used to Be” (Ashley Gorley and Bryan Simpson)
The American Country Awards air live on Fox Dec. 10 at 8 PM ET.
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat.
[Photo Credit: WENN]
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It was the trickle of pee heard around the world. Cannes attendees were aghast and/or amused an infamous scene from The Paperboy that shows Nicole Kidman urinating on Zac Efron; this is apparently a great salve for jellyfish burns which were covering our Ken Doll-like protagonist. (In fact the term protagonist should be used very loosely for Efron's character Jack who is mostly acted upon than active throughout.)
Lurid! Sexy! Perverse! Trashy! Whether or not it's actually effective is overshadowed by all the hubbub that's attached itself to the movie for better or worse. In fact the movie is all of these things — but that's actually not a compliment. What could have become somethingmemorable is jaw-droppingly bad (when it's not hilarious). Director Lee Daniels uses a few different visual styles throughout from a stark black and white palette for a crime scene recreation at the beginning to a '70s porno aesthetic that oscillates between psychedelic and straight-up sweaty with an emphasis on Efron's tighty-whiteys. This only enhances the sloppiness of the script which uses lines like narrator/housekeeper/nanny Anita's (Macy Gray) "You ain't tired enough to be retired " to conjure up the down-home wisdom of the South. Despite Gray's musical talents she is not a good choice for a narrator or an actor for that matter. In a way — insofar as they're perhaps the only female characters given a chunk of screen time — her foil is Charlotte Bless Nicole Kidman's character. Anita is the mother figure who wears as we see in an early scene control-top pantyhose whereas Charlotte is all clam diggers and Barbie doll make-up. Or as Anita puts it "an oversexed Barbie doll."
The slapdash plot is that Jack's older brother Ward (Matthew McConaughey) comes back to town with his colleague Yardley (David Oyelowo) to investigate the case of a death row criminal named Hillary Van Wetter. Yardley is black and British which seems to confuse many of the people he meets in this backwoods town. Hillary (John Cusack) hidden under a mop of greasy black hair) is a slack-jawed yokel who could care less if he's going to be killed for a crime he might or might not have committed. He is way more interested in his bride-to-be Charlotte who has fallen in love with him through letters — this is her thing apparently writing letters and falling in love with inmates — and has rushed to help Ward and Yardley free her man. In the meantime we're subjected to at least one simulated sex scene that will haunt your dreams forever. Besides Hillary's shortcomings as a character that could rustle up any sort of empathy the case itself is so boring it begs the question why a respected journalist would be interested enough to pursue it.
The rest of the movie is filled with longing an attempt to place any the story in some sort of social context via class and race even more Zac Efron's underwear sexual violence alligator innards swamp people in comically ramshackle homes and a glimpse of one glistening McConaughey 'tock. Harmony Korine called and he wants his Gummo back.
It's probably tantalizing for this cast to take on "serious" "edgy" work by an Oscar-nominated director. Cusack ditched his boombox blasting "In Your Eyes" long ago and Efron's been trying to shed his squeaky clean image for so long that he finally dropped a condom on the red carpet for The Lorax so we'd know he's not smooth like a Ken doll despite how he was filmed by Daniels. On the other hand Nicole Kidman has been making interesting and varied career choices for years so it's confounding why she'd be interested in a one-dimensional character like Charlotte. McConaughey's on a roll and like the rest of the cast he's got plenty of interesting projects worth watching so this probably won't slow him down. Even Daniels is already shooting a new film The Butler as we can see from Oprah's dazzling Instagram feed. It's as if they all want to put The Paperboy behind them as soon as possible. It's hard to blame them.

The trailers for Hope Springs might lead you to believe it's a romantic comedy about a couple trying to jumpstart their sexless marriage but it causes more empathetic cringing than chuckles. Audiences will be drawn to Hope Springs by its stars Meryl Streep Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell and Streep's track record of pleasing summer movies like Julie &amp; Julia and Mamma Mia! that offer a respite from the blockbusters flooding theaters. Despite what its marketing might have you believe Hope Springs isn't a rom-com. The film is a disarming mixture of deeply intimate confessions by a married couple in the sanctuary of a therapist's office awkwardly honest attempts by that couple to physically reconnect and incredibly sappy scenes underscored by intrusive music. Boldly addressing female desire especially in older women it's hard not to give the movie extra credit for what writer Vanessa Taylor's script is trying to convey and its rarity in mainstream film. The ebb and flow of intimacy and desire in a long-term relationship is what drives Hope Springs and while there are plenty contrived moments and unresolved issues it is frankly surprising and surprisingly frank. It's a summer release from a major studio with high caliber stars aimed squarely at the generally underserved 50+ audience addressing the even more taboo topic of that audience's sex life.
Streep plays Kay a suburban wife who's deeply unsatisfied emotionally and sexually by her marriage to Arnold. Arnold who is played by Tommy Lee Jones as his craggiest sleeps in a separate bedroom now that their kids have left the nest; he's like a stone cold robot emotionally and physically and Kay tiptoes around trying to make him happy even as he ignores her every gesture. One of the most striking scenes in the movie is at the very beginning when Kay primps and fusses over her modest sleepwear in the hopes of seducing her husband. Streep makes it obvious that this isn't an easy thing for Kay; it takes all her guts to try and wordlessly suggest sex to her husband and when she's shot down it hurts to watch. This isn't a one time disconnect between their libidos; this is an ongoing problem that leaves Kay feeling insecure and undesirable.
After a foray into the self-help section of her bookstore Kay finds a therapist who holds week-long intensive couples' therapy sessions in Good Hope Springs ME and in a seemingly unprecedented moment of decisiveness she books a trip for the couple. Arnold of course is having none of it but he eventually comes along for the ride. That doesn't mean he's up for answering any of Dr. Feld's questions though. To be fair Dr. Feld (Carell) is asking the couple deeply intimate questions so if Arnold is comfortable foisting his amorous wife off with the excuse he had pork for lunch it's not so far-fetched to believe he'd be angry when Feld asks him about his fantasy life or masturbation habits.
Although Arnold gets a pass on some of his issues Kay is forthright about why and how she's dissatisfied. When Dr. Feld asks her if she masturbates she says she doesn't because it makes her too sad. Kay offers similar revelations; she's willing to bare it all to revive her marriage while Arnold thinks the fact that they're married at all means they must be happy. Carell's Dr. Feld is soothing and kind (even a bit bland) but it's always a pleasure to see him play it straight.
It's subversive for a mega-watt star to play a character that talks about how sexually unsatisfied she is and how unsexy she feels with the man she loves most in the world. The added taboo of Kay and Arnold's age adds that much more to the conversation. Kay and Arnold's attempts at intimacy are emotionally raw and hard to watch. Even when things get funny they're mostly awkward funny not ha-ha funny.
The rest of the movie is a little uneven wrapped up tightly and happily by the end. Their time spent soul-searching alone is a little cheesy especially when Kay ends up in a local bar where she gets a little dizzy on white wine while dishing about her problems to the bartender (Elisabeth Shue). Somewhere along the line what probably started out as a character study ended up as a wobbly drama that pushes some boundaries but eventually lets everyone off the emotional hook in favor of a smoothed-over happy ending. Still its disarming moments and performances almost balance it out. Although its target audience might be dismayed to find it's not as light-hearted as it would seem Hope Springs offers up the opportunity for discussion about sexuality and aging at a time when books and films like 50 Shades of Grey and Magic Mike are perking up similar conversations. In the end that's a good thing.

A kids’ movie without the cheeky jokes for adults is like a big juicy BLT without the B… or the T. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted may have a title that sounds like it was made up in a cartoon sequel laboratory but when it comes to serving up laughs just think of the film as a BLT with enough extra bacon to satisfy even the wildest of animals — or even a parent with a gaggle of tots in tow. Yes even with that whole "Afro Circus" nonsense.
It’s not often that we find exhaustively franchised films like the Madagascar set that still work after almost seven years. Despite being spun off into TV shows and Christmas specials in addition to its big screen adventures the series has not only maintained its momentum it has maintained the part we were pleasantly surprised by the first time around: great jokes.
In this third installment of the series – the trilogy-maker if you will – directing duo Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath add Conrad Vernon (director Monsters Vs. Aliens) to the helm as our trusty gang swings back into action. Alex the lion (Ben Stiller) Marty the zebra (Chris Rock) Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) are stuck in Africa after the hullaballoo of Madagascar 2 and they’ll do anything to get back to their beloved New York. Just a hop skip and a jump away in Monte Carlo the penguins are doing their usual greedy schtick but the zoo animals catch up with them just in time to catch the eye of the sinister animal control stickler Captain Dubois (Frances McDormand). And just like that the practically super human captain is chasing them through Monte Carlo and the rest of Europe in hopes of planting Alex’s perfectly coifed lion head on her wall of prized animals.
Luckily for pint-sized viewers Dubois’ terrifying presence is balanced out by her sheer inhuman strength uncanny guiles and Stretch Armstrong flexibility (ah the wonder of cartoons) as well as Alex’s escape plan: the New Yorkers run away with the European circus. While Dubois’ terrifying Doberman-like presence looms over the entire film a sense of levity (which is a word the kiddies might learn from Stiller’s eloquent lion) comes from the plan for salvation in which the circus animals and the zoo animals band together to revamp the circus and catch the eye of a big-time American agent. Sure the pacing throughout the first act is practically nonexistent running like a stampede through the jungle but by the time we're palling around under the big top the film finds its footing.
The visual splendor of the film (and man is there a champion size serving of it) the magnificent danger and suspense is enhanced to great effect by the addition of 3D technology – and not once is there a gratuitous beverage or desperate Crocodile Dundee knife waved in our faces to prove its worth. The caveat is that the soundtrack employs a certain infectious Katy Perry ditty at the height of the 3D spectacular so parents get ready to hear that on repeat until the leaves turn yellow.
But visual delights and adventurous zoo animals aside Madagascar 3’s real strength is in its script. With the addition of Noah Baumbach (Greenberg The Squid and the Whale) to the screenwriting team the script is infused with a heightened level of almost sarcastic gravitas – a welcome addition to the characteristically adult-friendly reference-heavy humor of the other Madagascar films. To bring the script to life Paramount enlisted three more than able actors: Vitaly the Siberian tiger (Bryan Cranston) Gia the Leopard (Jessica Chastain) and Stefano the Italian Sealion (Martin Short). With all three actors draped in European accents it might take viewers a minute to realize that the cantankerous tiger is one and the same as the man who plays an Albuquerque drug lord on Breaking Bad but that makes it that much sweeter to hear him utter slant-curse words like “Bolshevik” with his usual gusto.
Between the laughs the terror of McDormand’s Captain Dubois and the breathtaking virtual European tour the Zoosters’ accidental vacation is one worth taking. Madagascar 3 is by no means an insta-classic but it’s a perfectly suited for your Summer-at-the-movies oasis.

UPDATE: William Levy will return to Dancing with the Stars tonight. DWTS' professional dancer Louis Von Amstel tells Hollywood.com exclusively that William will be back.
When asked if Levy would be returning for the Monday night broadcast, Amstel stated, "Oh yeah, definitely. When you're on the show and you injure yourself in a normal circumstance, you would take a few weeks off — but the adrenaline rush of being on Dancing with the Stars, having so many fans watching, the adrenaline itself makes you so strong mentally that you just push through."
DWTS airs tonight at 8 PM ET/PT on ABC.
EARLIER: Apparently competing on Dancing with the Stars can be pretty dangerous. Last Monday, April 10, contestant Melissa Gilbert was rushed to the hospital after suffering a concussion during a routine. Now, another DWTS competitor — William Levy — has also hurt himself.
"Just Wanted to let u know that I injured my right ankle pretty bad during rehearsal.. MRI tomorrow," the actor/model, 31, tweeted late Sunday night. "I'll let u all know .. Love u all."
It's unclear if Levy will make it to the dance floor tonight — and, there's no doubt that Levy's many fans will be disappointed if he doesn't. Levy is a popular performer who has been considered the season's' frontrunner. He is partnered with professional dancer Cheryl Burke, 27.
Hollywood.com has reached out to ABC to find out if Levy will be competing tonight, but have yet to hear back.
More:
DWTS Star Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Melissa Gilbert Is Still Ailing — EXCLUSIVE
DWTS: A Surprise Couple Gets Eliminated — See the Results Here!
DWTS Star William Levy's Sexual Battery Lawsuit Dismissed
[Twitter]